First Aerial Circumnavigation - Essay Example

The four aircraft officially commenced the first flight around the world at Sand Point, Washington, near Seattle, Washington. Upon reaching Prince Rupert Island, Seattle, the lead aircraft flown by SSgt. Alva Harvey and Maj. Fredrick Martin developed mechanical problems making them remain behind for repairs. After repair, Seattle tried to catch up with the other three; however, it crashed on 30 April in a dense fog near Port Moller, on the Alaska Peninsula. Chicago assumed the lead of the remaining three aircraft with Lt. Smith and Lt. Arnold as the pilot and mechanic respectively (Head, 94). During the circumnavigation, Chicago had to land in a lagoon in French Indochina because of a broken connecting rod. The first and the fastest engine change ever in Indochina was effected in the city of Hue.

On July 14, the flight arrived in Paris. From Paris, they moved to London in the north of Britain to prepare for the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. While crossing the Atlantic Ocean on 3 August 1924, the Boston was forced down, capsized, and sank. The Chicago and New Orleans continued crossing the Atlantic Ocean through Canada, Greenland, and Iceland. Boston II, the original prototype, joined with the Boston’s crew in Pictou, Nova Scotia, and the three made their way to Washington DC to a heroic welcome (Head, 94). The three Douglas Cruisers made a multi-city tour and finally landed in Seattle on September 28, 1924.

In conclusion, the US Army Air Service increased its success chances by using four Douglas World Cruisers: Boston, New Orleans, Seattle, and Chicago. In addition, they pre-positioned spare parts, caches of fuel, and other equipment along the route. The US Army Air Service’s round-the-world flight has never been duplicated by any nation flying with a single-engine, open-cockpit aircraft.